Kids at Home Series – Part 1

The first in our “KIDS AT HOME Series”…

Tips and ideas for parents of kids who are usually in school but are now at home.

What do you do with your kids when they are at home all day? How do you get your work done and keep your sanity – while also getting your child or children to study, do their chores and keep entertained?

1) Organize your life by initiating a daily schedule

This is a basic element of sanity. You start your day, and usually know what you do from the time you get up to the time you go to bed. That prediction makes sense and keeps you on track. The same applies to your kids. They are used to a schedule at school. Bells ring, kids line up to go to lunch or recess or whatever the next activity is and it is done on a schedule. So, make up a daily schedule for home life. And try your best to stick to it. Post it on the fridge so everyone can see it.

2) Make learning a priority and make it fun

If you recognize that your child is probably in school for somewhere between 7 and 9 hours a day and that about 5-6 hours of that is learning time, you know that learning is a huge activity for children. You should make sure that your child is studying a good part of the day, although 5-6 hours may be a bit more than they can do at home. Keep it fun by making games of their study time. Let them use learning apps on the computer if they can. One really good place to learn online for younger kids is ABC Mouse and they are currently running a special 49% off offer. Another that is good for any age is from Scholastic Learn at Home.  And from Kids Activities.com, there is an entire list of companies that are offering free online learning subscriptions due to school closings. We’ll continue to suggest other sites and apps each week.

3) Get outdoors and exercise

Also, be sure to keep the kids active by having frequent breaks to go out and run around the block, or ride a bike, or just play ball or something in the back yard. Exercise is very important to maintaining a healthy body and a good outlook so be sure you exercise as well as your kids. Maybe take a break from your day and go outside and take a nature walk or play with them.

We will continue our Kids At Home series and offer you more suggestions for good ideas and apps that your kids can use to stay active and learning. Please let us know by replying to this newsletter if there are specific problems you’re encountering with your kids at home. We will try to answer each request. And, your problem may be common with other parents as well, so we’ll share your questions and suggestions (anonymously, of course).

Next, just keep calm and carry on. We’ll get through this.